Wednesday, December 30, 2015

I'm one of five girls and my sisters and I have a bit of a laugh and exchange gifts each Christmas. Since 2008, we have had certain themes - paper, wood, round and shiny, garden, metal, fabric, rustic/outdoors and this years doozy...

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Easy, right?

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Here we are celebrating Marilyn and Janine's birthday s in October. Here's what we came up with...

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My sister, Leanne is also know as Fred to us. Fred made Fruitcake...

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Sister Sue gave Succulents in a Sow...

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Janine gave Jewellery and a Jar of Joy!

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Marilyn worried about this all year but pulled off the best one - a Mug and Magnet (with our picture on it), Maltesers and a bottle of McGuigan Moscato!

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I decided Joolz would make and give Jam - what else fits the criteria?

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Starting back in November, I made Dried Apricot Jam...

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...then Cherry Jam...

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...Spiced beetroot and apple jam...

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...and Kiwi fruit jam.

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Then I had to wrap them and make sure all points were covered in the brief!

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So, we have no two colours the same, a button or a tag used...
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I found the fabrics in Spotlight...

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...add some green if you must!
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I thought the buttons were cute!
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Cellophane makes any gift look fancy!

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Add a tag and Tah dah!

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I didn't get much baking done this year - Choc candy cane cookies, some cherry short breads...

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...choccy puddings...

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...and cherry ripe balls.

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Last night I prepared tacos (I made the flour tortillas from scratch, they're under the bought taco shells). It was nice to be able to sit outside and it wasn't hot, cold, windy or nasty - just right.

Kirby and Nate are here and Brianna gets home again tonight so we'll celebrate New Years together down at the beach tomorrow night.

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We have visitors for dinner tonight so I'll be busy preparing salads and stuff this afternoon but it's off to work first!

We shared all these dishes and it was quite enough. Such beautiful flavours!

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Afterwards, we did a spot of shopping on The Parade where I bought this DVD and spent a Witchery voucher I was given for Christmas. I bought a sort of large clutch bag but I think I'll use it as a travel first aid pouch filled with band-aids, Panadol, creams etc. - so I can just throw it in my suitcase. I like to have everything in one place when I need it! Then it was out to a Target store to buy myself a new pillow for Adelaide, the ones I bought when we did our room out are way too squooshie for me (I usually bring my favourite from home).

I sat and watched the first episode of Home Fires when we got home and I know I'll love this series.

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We return home today then back to work tomorrow - booo!!

We've had a lovely few days with the girls and they are coming home for New Year - we hope to go camping on the beach!

I couldn't find the rolling pin so I improvised with the cling wrap roll - worked a treat!

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Slathered it with butter...

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Sprinkled it with cinnamon and caster sugar...

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Into a pan - I line mine with kitchen paper so there's no sticking...

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They look a bit higgledy piggledy but they'll spread out. I actually didn't read the recipe method right which said to rise them in a warm oven, I just left them on the bench covered so they may have risen a bit more. Nevermind.

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Fresh out of the oven...

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Glazed and ready to go! They smell amazing and taste even better. Bri has taken some to share at teatime with her nurse friends.

For the first time ever, we sat together and had eggs and bacon and mimosas for breakfast. We are usually running around preparing things for lunch.

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Then we headed for Beachport where we had our family Christmas in the caravan park. It was horrendously hot and windy so there were paper plates, dust and twigs flying about, not pleasant at all.

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But most importantly, my mother was able to join us. My sister picked her up from her nursing home then dropped her back a few hours later. She enjoyed her lunch but the heat made it very uncomfortable for her. She was quite a trooper!

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We then hopped in the car and drove 400kms to Adelaide to be with Bri who had had to work an early nursing shift Christmas morning.

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Kirby set the Christmas table...

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I prepared oysters kilpatrick...

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...and a salad.

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Presents were placed under the tree...

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Yum!

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Gus did zesty lemon prawns...

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Kirby's boyf Nate did a rolled pork roast and kipfler potatoes...

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Bri made a fantastic pavlova!

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Boxing Day breakfast! Ham on toast!

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We went to see Star Wars at the Gold Class cinema in the afternoon...I was scared that I'd fall asleep like I usually do...

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...but it was so action packed that I stayed awake and really enjoyed it!

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It was in 3-D and apart from seeing things at Movie World, this was my first 3-D movie, very good!

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Last night we had lamb cutlets, expertly cooked by Gus, baked sweet potTo with coconut yoghurt dressing and a green salad.

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After the hot weather on Christmas Day, the weather has been perfect since!

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I hope everyone is enjoying some quality family time and taking it easy, we are!

Joolz

About Me...

Welcome to my blog. I'm a South Aussie girl on the wrong side of 50. I'm a wife to a busy man and mother of two beautiful girls. I love to cook, bake & eat yummy (usually healthy) things, travel, follow blogs of interest and listen to mostly country music. We are empty nesters and soon to be avid campers!

My Recipes

I think the link is broken to these recipes. Click on one and if it doesn't work, replace http// with www. and it should take you to the recipe post. One's that aren't linked, I'm pretty sure if you google simply joolz and the name of the recipe, you will find it that way. I just haven't got time to go through each one and change the links.... :)